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Theres just something about Ai I just cant get into or like at all , she seems too.. plain. I didn't see anything interesting at all during her arc.. I was more interested with the fillers of her arc to be honest , maybe I'm too Ayatsuji focused , also abit more personal but Ai resembles my ex alot which I don't regret leaving ,

other than that , Ai doesn't have that joyful/playful Aura Haruka and Kaoru had

Okay... I've seen enough stories in this omnibus format to have an opinion on the concept. Basically, it has potential to "satisfy everyone" and guarantee that at least a FEW blu-ray/dvds will be sold to each fan but OTOH... this particular format is too rigid -- briefer simpler stories get too stretched and more complex stories get shafted all in the name of forcing them into "4 episodes for 2 disks in Japan".

In the *big* picture though, I hope this doesn't become 'the standard' as I still prefer a well-written integration that makes changes as necessary to present a compelling storyline (e.g. Canvas 2, Lamune, KyoAni Key adaptations, etc). Those interested in a *variation* on this idea should check out Yosuga no Sora and the way it handles the different routes -- it isn't integrated but yet it isn't parallel reality either.

I suppose its good that the companies are experimenting instead of sticking to the "usual rut" (though the source material fans punished the makers of KKPR's anime for their interesting early attempt to solve the integration problem).

The matter of HOW they adapted each story is a separate issue (some good, some less well).
As for this specific short story (Ai).... I'm finding it less compelling than the manga adaptation of her story. So far the score is -
1) Haruka's tale - silly and absurd at times but pretty satisfying as a short story in terms of a complete romance.
2) Kaoru's tale - probably the most *mature* story theme but suffered from both the time budget and some disappointment in not getting an epilogue like Haruka got.
3) Sae's tale - the goofiest story with the simplest plot textures, probably used one more episode than needed to tell the story. OTOH, entertaining and light.
4) Ai's tale - unusual character and it isn't terribly clear why they connect as they do but the story does show fairly how people sometimes connect when it doesn't seem obvious that they will.
And the rest are yet-to-come.

My only real disappointment with the series is that they re-invent the protagonist's personality in each story. The character should *evolve* to a different sort of person because when you're around different people that's how you change. But he *starts out* substantively different in each arc. I view that as a bit of a writing failure that makes the omnibus less interesting than it could have been. Think about it - how would *you* be different if your friends were a different group of friends. Attitudes and personality are not really fixed, they evolve based on what kind of connections you make with which other people.

that briefer simpler stories get too stretched and more complex stories get shafted all in the name of forcing them into "4 episodes for 2 disks in Japan".

I'm not so sure about that. I think you can have interesting stories with only four episodes (after all, 23*4=92min) but the anime staff don't exploit these four episodes well at all. There are many parts which are "useless" for the story. For example, the first part of this episode.

Having seen 4 arcs already, I might be inclined to disagree with all of you in how they stack. Unfortunately, I seem to get to feeling that Haruka or Sexhair (I seem to see this as reference to her more than her real name, so it sticks.) is highest in most people's minds.

Well, I come to such genres looking for passion and feel. Well, Sae is already in basement-bottom. It's just hahaha all the way. I think that's dumb. It feels worse than any Shuffle! arc.

Then there's Sexhair. Uh. Nice boat? There's a tense mood sometimes that works for and against the arc at the same time. Family problems make it realistic, but her wildness seems impossible in a typical Japanese high school. Just saying. It's in the middle, I suppose.

Haruka looks a little like a kink-fest. Then again, it's NOT the worst. In fact it's pretty good, and I think I like it. Better than Sexhair and Sae, especially comparing endings. Sexhair's is especially odd.

Where does this leave Ai?

She's pretty much in a league of her own. I hear the Singapore government is looking for foreign talent like her (aquatic champ, caring and kind, not wild but brave, and generally being a outstanding citizen.) Divisive. Some people don't like that. Fair.

But I like it that way.
And I know many do, right?

So.

1 Ai
2 Haruka
3 Sexhair
4 Sae

The next two arcs, I don't hold up much for Rihoko, BUT Tsukasa seems explosive. To me that's divisive.

I finally got around to watching this. The second half was awesome. Ai is such an amazing girl. I didn't like the story at times, but she's still my favorite Amagami girl by a very large margin. The hot springs scene was great. Best confession scene so far IMO. The first half was funny, especially the food showdown with the tea club members. Drunk sensei was funny, too. So: